My progress so far (pics)

[axl617]

Hey guys. Low T victim for about 3 years now. I was doing cardio 5x a week and this is what I looked like for most of my years (6'1, 185-190lbs)

I started reading about the benefits of lifting on hormones, so I took up Starting Strength. Blew up to 225lbs about in 5-6 months:

The weirdest thing is I still kept making gains. I went up to around 380 DL, 400lbs sumo, 280lbs squat, 200lbs bench working out just 2-3 times a week (and slogging through it all, I was tired as hell). Did it help my hormones? Hell no. I checked in again at 167pmol/L on a range of 300-1200. So now I was gaining fat like a mofo, 25+% bodyfat and endos took me even less seriously because I showed I could still put on muscle.

With the blessing of my doctor I went ahead and started UG, 120mg every week (two smaller shots) which puts me right in the 690pmol/L range and estrogen right in the mid-range. I've been on this for 4 months now.

I'm finally starting to slowlllly lose fat, although the only workouts I'm doing at the moment is 30minutes of treadmill, I just want to lose fat, and I'm down 16lbs on a paleo diet.


So moral of the story. You can still put on muscle and strength with abysmal hormone levels. It doesn't mean you will feel good, that you will have a libido or that you don't need hormone therapy. My mental health of all things was the worst before the treatment, I'm still not out of the woods but at least I'm finally not in that dark slump.

Edit: removed photos, sorry about that.

 

[oldmusclemike]

Welcome to the board

 

[Milton]

welcome to the site, please keep us posted.

 

[tooth]

I totally agree with what you are getting at here. Trt has definitely helped my strength, but the more significant difference is definitely libido, and energy for me. Pre trt my deadlift was 450, bench was 305, and my squat was 420. That's at powerlifting competitions, not bro gym lifts. A year later on trt my lifts are significantly higher, but they where not what the general public and most docs would think given my low t #'s prior. I'm a little guy too.

 

[Roush]

So moral of the story. You can still put on muscle and strength with abysmal hormone levels.

there are other genetic factors besides testosterone levels that go into ones ability to be able to put on muscle mass -- myostatin for example. Protein utilization , nitrogen retention etc.

 

[Milton]

hows your Testosterone levels these days?

 

[3J]

you reach your "muscle gaining potential limit" much quicker when you have low t..